Audrey at 1 month

Weight: 9 lbs, 14 oz

Height: I can't remember- will check soon.

I had a few things for a girl nursery, just in case.

And then friends and family filled in with some adorable additions, too.

Clothing size: She is still in Newborn, but just barely. ;) And I gotta say, I'm LOVING baby girl clothes. Bring on the bows!!

Thanks Aunt Al- this is one of my favorite dresses!!!

Diaper size: We do disposable the first month, and she's still in Newborn, but again- just barely! 

Feeding: She has GULPED her milk very quickly since day one. It makes me nervous because she usually doesn't eat that long, but I can tell she's getting a decent amount, so hopefully she's just really efficient. She nurses every 2-3 hours in the day, and every 1.5-4 hours at night. She took her first bottle no problem the night before she turned 1 month! Our sweet neighbors let us borrow a baby scale, so I weigh her once/ week at home, so I don't go too crazy. It's been somewhat reassuring, but the pediatrician said she would've liked her to have gained a little more weight her first month, but that she looks wonderful and healthy overall. I am forever haunted after Graham not gaining weight as a baby, so I'm trying not to freak out. 

First bottle. Success!!

Sleeping: Girl still loves to sleep all day and party all night. Mama needs a nap. Bad. We're nowhere near on a schedule yet, but are following the basic eat-wake-sleep cycle for the past week or so. She roughly stays awake for about an hour (including eating), then naps for 1.5ish hours. She gets her last feeding around 10pm when I go to bed, and then is up again usually around 3 more times to eat. Girl just wants to be held all.night.long. She has mostly rough nights, but there have been a few that have shown me there is hope for progress! She naps about 5 times a day ish?? She loves her Woombie and paci to sleep, and we kicked her out of our room at 2 weeks, so she's had to adjust to the crib quickly.

Milestones: Being born. ;)

Likes: Being held. Mama's milk. The Ergo. Her paci. 

Big brothers can't get enough of their baby sister.
She's covered in kisses and adoring gazes every day. 

Dislikes: Not being held. Her car seat. Baths. Tummy time. The hours from about 7pm-4am. Eek.

Adventures: Neighborhood walks. Music class. Church. Play dates. MOPS. Grocery trips.

First time to church.

What we couldn't live with out: My mom the first two weeks. Ergo. Double stroller. Meal train- this is such an unbelievable blessing from friends at church. Disposable diapers. Paper plates. (We do disposable diapers and paper plates the first month as we adjust to a new baby, and this is the biggest lifesaver!!!!!)

My mom with her mom's namesake, little Audrey.

Best part of parenting this age: All the sweet, sweet snuggles. And I still say to Andrew every day, "Can you believe we have a daughter?! That it was a girl that whole time in my belly?!" After being a boy mom for 3 years and only knowing that, I am still in shock most days that I have a girl!!!! And I absolutely LOVE it!!!! 

Hardest part of parenting this age: SLEEP DEPRIVATION. For sure. I think I usually say nursing is the hardest part the first month, but she's definitely my best nurser and worst sleeper of the three. I think going from 1 to 2 kids was harder for me than 2 to 3, probably since I've become more laid back the more kids I have. They are all 20 months apart, so having 3 littles so close together is challenging since everyone has NEEDS they must have met ALL the time, but I seriously LOVE my three littles and can't imagine it any other way. They are the sweetest gift from Jesus, and I am forever thankful that I get to be their Mama.

Some nights I just give up and put her on me, so we can both get a little rest.
Grace upon grace upon grace, even at 2am. :)

Boys Meet Baby Audrey

Apparently flu season in Indiana was really late this year, so the hospital had restrictions on visitors - basically no one under the age of 18 was allowed. I was so bummed the boys weren't able to come meet baby Audrey right after she was born. It was also the longest I've ever been away from them, so I missed them and just wanted to be around them in general. But I knew they were well taken care of by Nonnie.

We ended up coming home a little early, and I had super low expectations of how the first meet would go. I figured the boys would just want our attention since we'd be gone so long, and that they would pretty much ignore Audrey. They are only 3 years and 20 months after all, and boys who could care less about baby dolls or most real babies in fact. But it actually ended up being one of THE  sweetest moments of my life. Both boys were waiting at the door for us, and as soon as we opened it, Graham began begging, "Want to hold him! Want to hold him! Want to hold him!" (He thinks everyone is a "he." Haha) We took some quick pic's on the porch, and then granted Graham's request, heading straight for the couch to let Graham hold his new little sister. The expressions on his face of wonder, excitement, scrutiny, joy will forever be tattooed in my brain. He stroked her face, examined her fingers and toes, gave her kisses, and oohed and ahhhed over her for a looooooooong time. I wanted to bottle the moments up and keep them forever. He has been predicting a little sister for 9 months, and he now says over and over, "Graham has a brother AND a sister! Graham has two babies!!"

Owen was the biggest surprise-I say he looks at her like a unicorn, this funny, mesmerizing little creature he can't quite figure out. Since the first moment, he points and squeals "Eeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!" in a really high-pitched tone over and over. It's pretty hilarious. They both love to give her kisses on kisses on kisses, and it's like a celebrity enters the room every time they see her. So completely precious. Sibling love is the best.

Audrey's Birth Story!!! 4.9.16

Audrey Katherine Buckle
4.9.16
We had the sweetest delivery nurse that made us the biggest bow hat. :)

I cannot BELIEVE I got a GIRL!!!! 

This was one anticipated baby. Three (almost four) days late with a surprise gender... Oh little girl, you are already keeping us on our toes!
My due date came and went on a Wednesday, with no action. I definitely had the due date blues. A friend described it as running a marathon for 9 long months, finally crossing the finish line completely exhausted and spent in every way, and then SURPRISE! you actually still have to keep running an unknown amount of time! Ugh. That night after we put the boys to bed, Andrew is trying to be helpful and was asking me things like, "Want to play a game?" and other things that sound just as unappealing in my beached whale, disappointed status. Finally I looked at him and said, "I don't know what I need right now, but I don't think you do either." He laughed, agreed, and then suggested "Fuller House." Done. He does know me!!!!

Proud Daddy.

The next day, Thursday, I had a doctor's appointment, where she did the normal checks. I was measuring super small (33 instead of 40),  but she thought it was because I"d dropped since the previous week, which throws the measurement off. Dilated to a 2. But she wanted to hook me up to the monitor to watch Baby's heart rate, movement, and my contractions. It felt like a vacation in that recliner! I had tons of contractions, Baby had a strong heartbeat and tons of movement, so everything looked "beautiful," as my doctor said. Then came an ultrasound to check my fluid levels, just to make sure Baby was still getting enough, because she said those can drop suddenly at the end, and since I was measuring so small, she wanted to make sure. Everything checked out great there too, so she said I could coast for a few days, and then she wanted to check me again on Monday just to make sure everything still looked okay. I laugh looking back at this ultrasound, where they estimated her weight to be 7lbs, 12 oz... Little did we all know the big girl that was about to come out of me!! My doctor will let me go 10 days after my due date before inducing, but I was planning on asking to be induced 7 days after if Baby still hadn't come. Thankful it never came to that. I asked her to strip my membranes (first time I've ever had that done) just for one more shot to start labor. Didn't happen.

I had a few girl things packed in our hospital bag just in case. ;)

Friday was a normal day. The boys and I had a playdate with sweet friends during the day, and then Andrew and I had a Fuller House marathon that night. As we watched, I began to have some more uncomfortable contractions. I didn't think much of it at first, because I'd been having crampy contractions since having my membranes stripped, and they hadn't turned into anything. But these felt different, so Andrew and I started to wonder if this was it. We threw some last-minute stuff in our bags and put them by the door, just in case. Around midnight, nothing had progressed, so Andrew went to bed. I stayed on the couch, switching to Fixer Upper to keep myself distracted. The contractions were super sporadic and just uncomfortable enough to keep me awake, but not painful enough to blow through or cry through. ;) This went on all night. I timed them, and some were 30 minutes apart, while some were 5 minutes apart. No consistency at all. Andrew came down at 3am ish, and asked if this was it? I told him I thought maybe it was the beginning, but it was just going really slowly. But by 7am, when the boys woke up, I was still wide awake and not in labor. I kept asking Andrew, "What was that?!" This was such a different experience already than with the boys. Andrew took care of the boys so I could go lay down in bed. I got some cat naps in, but kept waking up with the mediocre, sporadic contractions. I had no idea what was happening. That afternoon, the contractions started getting painful enough that I was breathing/ blowing/ whatever through them. Andrew was reading books to Graham, and I remember Graham looking really concerned as he asked Daddy what Mommy was doing. I was getting on all fours to get through some of them, but not crying or anything, so I wanted to stay with them as long as I could. We began texting our friend options lined up to take care of the boys just to see who was most available in case this was the real thing. One friend texted me, "So are you in labor?" And my response was still, "I don't know!" Haha. Such a weird feeling.

Getting ready to go home.
Her squeaky, raspy cries in the hospital are all-out screams these days. :)

I talked to my mom, and she decided to just start driving, because if this wasn't it, surely it was going to happen soon, so she would just be here. Later that afternoon, I decided to just call my doctor and ask her what she thought was happening, since I was so confused. I was so surprised and excited to find that my doctor was actually the one on call that day! Both boys were born in the middle of the night, and delivered by another sweet doctor in the practice who was on call then. She was GREAT, but I was so excited to have my own doctor this time!! After asking lots of questions, she told me to go ahead to the hospital, even though contractions weren't consistent, they had been going on a long time by this point. So Andrew packed up the boys, dropped them off at a sweet friend's house, and then we headed to the hospital. I will say contractions in the car are the WORST because you can't move, and I really like to be in a different postition than sitting to endure the pain. But I only had a few on the way, unlike previous times, where I screamed and cried like the whole way, with contractions like 2 minutes apart! Haha. We arrived at the hospital around 5pm, and I went to Triage for the first time. I guess my wailing in previous times always scored me an immediate room! But this time they had to make sure I was actually in labor becuase I was so calm. Ha. They kept me, said I was dilated to a 3-4, and asked if I wanted my epidural yet. Again, in past my answer was always, "STAT!!!!!" But I really wasn't in that much pain yet, so they asked if I wanted to walk to help possibly speed things up. Never done that before either, so I decided to give it a whirl. We made laps for about 30 minutes, and contractions then started getting more and more painful. I was having to stop, breathe through each one, and had begun kinda whimpering. Andrew has much improved his delivery game, and was super great at rubbing my lower back when I needed it, gripping my hand, or just letting me have space. I requested the epidural after walking a while, and it was put in without complication. I think this was at about 6.30pm ish. It was magical of course, so I laid back as they told me my contractions continued to be sporadic, but everything looked fine with baby. I was progressing in dilation pretty slowly, my contractions still weren't close together, so the nurse started wondering if Baby was possibly face up, which can affect those things. She said she would check that the next time she checked my dilation. I started getting nervous about C-sections and that stuff, but the next time she checked me, she said Baby was face down. Whew. I remember looking at Andrew several times through this experience just fearful of everything that could go wrong, and just asking him to pray again and again on behalf of me and Baby. We bowed our heads many times in the hospital rooms, and God was so gracious in protecting us through the whole process.

Coming home!!!
Late flu season restrictions prevented the boys from visiting us in the hospital,
so this was their first glimpse of their sister. 

Around this time, my doctor wanted to try some pitocin to get things moving. By this point, I was up for anything to get this baby out!!! I think this was around 10pm ish but I can't remember for sure? It took a while to kick in, but my body really responded to it. All of a sudden, my sweet nurse was telling me my contractions had really picked up and I was at a 9! Finally it was go time! I pushed for about 10 minutes before sweet thing was born. As they pulled her up out of me, Andrew announced, "It's a girl!!!!" When I had pictured that moment so many times before (for both genders), I always pictured myself bursting into tears. But in the moment, I was SO STINKIN EXCITED and SHOCKED that it was a GIRL, I SCREAMED and threw my hands in the air! Hahaha. The moment couldn't have been sweeter. They put her on me immediately, already making comments about what a big girl she was! I cried over her and sang "You are my sunshine," which somehow became tradition in all our births. Audrey Katherine Buckle was born at 11.39pm on April 9, weighing 8 lbs, 11 oz, and 20.5 inches long. She has the cutest chubby cheeks, tons of dark hair, and a dimple!!! Our hearst are bursting, we love her so much!!!!! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!!!

Pure sweetness.

Baby3, we are so ready for you!!!

This is at 37 weeks, full-term!!!!!!

Counting down the days, my friends. Counting down the days. I have friends who want their babies to just keep on baking, even past the due date, because they know the hard realities of having a newborn, nursing beyond sleep deprivation, and juggling other children too. But I just get SO miserable the last few weeks of pregnancy, all of that just sounds way better than how uncomfortable I am right now. I'm already not sleeping, so I might as well be holding a sweet baby in my arms while I'm wide awake, right?? Come on out Baby3; this Mama is sooooo ready for you!!!

Buckle boys ready for their bike ride.

In the spirit of counting down... I started this a few days ago, but now we're actually one week out!!!

10- More days til Baby is due, and the number of days I'm refusing to wear any more maternity jeans. They're just so uncomfortable now. Yoga pants 4 lifeeeeeeeee.

9- Probably the average amount of times I'm waking up at night now. Between gagging on my snot (yep, super congested lately.. It's lovely.) , heartburn, having to pee, tossing and turning with my huge belly, and re-arranging the three pillows it takes to keep me somewhat comfortable... Ugh. Sometimes I just give up and go downstairs and sit on the couch for hours, because it's so miserable to lay down. Being sick while you're pregnant should not be allowed.

8- About how many bags are lined up in our hallway, ready to go. Packing for all 5 of us when I go into labor is a LOT of stuff.

Heart.melting.

7- The number of people off the top of my head that are pregnant and due within a week of me!! A couple have already had their babies! Crazy how babies really do seem to come in big waves.

6- About how many Tums I've been taking throughout the nights lately. They just hang out on my nightstand now.

5- About how many times a day I try to prevent Owen from having a major meltdown when his latest prized possession that he MUST be carrying around with him at all times disappears under some furniture... And I try to dig it out, while trying not to smush Baby3 in the process. We're at beached whale status, people, and shimmying on my belly is completely ridiculous at this point.

Free ice cream is the BEST.

4- The number of people we have lined up to watch the boys when I go into labor. Surely someone will be able to cover it, right?!!!

3- The number of littles I'm about to have in CLOTH diapers. Seriously people, say a little prayer for some potty training around here. Yikes.

Doing their part in helping me stock the freezer for when Baby comes!!!

2- Genders that our baby could be. Dyinggggggggg to know which it is!! Honestly, I have been so consumed with caring for the boys, that I just didn't think about it much during most of the pregnancy. But lately, it's been driving me crazy to know if it's a boy or girl!!! Everyone asks me if I have this "feeling," but I really just don't. All 3 pregnancies have been very different, and all the old wives tales are all over the place. I keep picturing the moment of birth with both genders, and cannot WAIT to hear Andrew say, "It's a boy!!" Or "It's a girl!!" I literally cry every.single.time we talk about that moment. And I think he's excited to have an important job in the birthing process, which is really sweet. (Graham is predicting GIRL.)

1- Name we still have to decide on. Boy's full name is finalllllllly picked. Girl's first name has been decided forever, but we still can't land on a middle name.

Easter.

Also, just for my records... (I really like to compare. Sorry if TMI!)

Baby3:

37 weeks appt- 0 dilation

38 weeks appt- 0 

Baby2:

37 weeks appt- 2

38 weeks appt- 2.5

39 weeks appt-3.5

Owen born!

Baby1:

37 weeks appt- 0 

38 weeks appt-1

Graham born!

My OB is predicting I go before my due date this time, and that it's another boy! She doesn't make many predictions, but when she has in the past, they've usually been right! Curious to see!!! 

36 weeks with #3!

36 weeks checkup-
totally looks like I'm hiding a basketball under my shirt these days!!! 

How far along?  36 weeks! HOW am I 9 months preggo? Why does it fly by so fast?!

Maternity clothes? My maternity jeans have started getting more uncomfortable lately, so I've been loving yoga pants and maternity leggings lately. 

Sleep? They say the last part of pregnancy prepares you for the sleepless nights of nursing a newborn. I think that's the worst preparation everrrrrrrr. Shouldn't we be able to sleep more now to prepare?? Ughhhhh sleep. So uncomfortable. So much tossing and turning. I can't wait to sleep on my belly again. I go back and forth between napping almost every day, to having these nesting bursts of energy, where I just plow away at my to-do list, because I'm starting to realize how soon this baby is coming!!! Eek. 

Graham literally hasn't taken a nap in months,
so him falling asleep with me one afternoon was pretty precious.
Snuggles with the firstborn. Yes please. 

Best moment this week (month)? 
Good checkups at the dr! And some unexpected days of sunshine!!!!! 

These boys and their trampoline.

All boy.
A big pile of dirt, shovels, and a wheelbarrow, and they're good to go.

Miss anything? My body is sooooo ready to not be pregnant any more, but I know the baby needs to cook for a little bit longer. And we're so not ready logistically. But yeah, just missing the same old same old... Being comfortable, fitting into clothes, sleeping, etc.

Movement? More/ stronger movement. Hiccups (love being able to tell baby is head-down during these)!

Food cravings? Sweets. 

I drive by a Dairy Queen every time I go to my dr's appointments.
I haven't stopped to get a Blizzard in nine months.
The hubs and I definitely celebrated 36 weeks with Blizzards.
#worthit #goodhubs

Dr appointment: Measured 34 (instead of 36) at this appointment, and Dr is predicting this baby will be closer to Graham's size (6.15) than Owen's (8.6). She doesn't make many predictions, but the ones she made with the boys were all right! We'll see this time. ;) Everything's looking good this time around. I'm going every week now, and she'll start checking my dilation next week! Eek.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Not anymore. Whew.

Labor signs? Braxton-hicks have definitely picked up! Much more often, and tonight I actually had some crampy ones for a while. When I laid down, they faded out, but it made me nervous!! I think this is around when they started for both boys, but it caught me off-guard this time. 

Symptoms: Braxton-hicks. Belly. Heartburn. Pretty worn out. Emotional. 

Belly button in or out? Oh it's very OUT.

Wedding ring on or off? On.

Happy or moody most of the time? Moody.

Name possibilities? We literally haven't made any progress in 9 months. People. It's starting to drive me a little bit crazy. We have a leftover first name for a girl from Owen's pregnancy that we're set on, but no middle name. And no boy names. A couple months ago, I started calling the baby a combo of my two favorite names (that Andrew hasn't agreed to) just so I could feel more connected. Graham calls the baby these names now sometimes too. Haha. Oopsie.

Snuggles with my sweet baby who's about to not be my baby anymore. :(

Looking forward to? My most common phrase these days is, "Who are you, little one?!" I am just dyingggggggg to know if it's a boy or a girl, and what our family is about to look like!!!!!

Thoughts from the Baby Daddy on #3

Andrew wanted to do a funny pic to announce this pregnancy,
but don't be fooled- he is beyond excited!

(Jaye) What's been the best part of this pregnancy?
(Andrew) Not being anxious. The surprise gender- not knowing what to expect, but you know it will be good.

What's been the worst part of this pregnancy?
Jaye's been a little more hormonal/ emotional in this one than the others.

#typical

How has this pregnancy felt different, not knowing the gender?
There's a different kind of excitement that comes with this one. You get to play out lots of scenarios in your head of what it'll be like.

What are some of your favorite memories over the last 9 months?
Telling Graham and Owen that another baby is coming. Watching the boys transition to sharing a room. Seeing Owen point to his belly when we ask him where the baby is. Graham listening for the baby's heartbeat on Jaye's belly. Praying for our next baby with our current babies. 

What's been the most surprising thing about this pregnancy?
How quickly it's gone. I feel like we just found out Jaye was pregnant, and now the baby can come anytime! There's a lot of freedom that comes in not being anxious. I'm just excited.

Andrew reading to babies #1 and #3.

Are you nervous about labor this time?
No. I feel like Jaye knows what to expect, I feel like I kinda know what to expect. I hope I get to be here to see all of it, like for Owen's labor. 
(I started laboring with Owen at night, and it was super fast, so Andrew got to see the whole process. He only was there for the end of Graham's. ;)) 
The anticipation was like opening a present.

What do you think it will be like during the delivery of a surprise gender??
A lot of anticipation and just excitement. There will be no disappointment for a boy or a girl. If it's a girl, there will be tea parties, and that will be fun. If it's another boy, it will be fun to see what he's like, since G and O are so different.

What are you nervous about being a dad of 3 kids?
Losing my hair. General exhaustion that comes with managing a household with that many people in it, as an introvert.

I give them carrots, and they refuse to eat them.
Carrots off Daddy's plate= magical.

What are you most excited about being a dad of 3 kids?
Being proud. I'm excited to be a dad again. it's a blessing, and to get to do it 3 times is amazing. I just think- JOY.

What kind of dad will you be to 3 kids?
A little on the crazy side. Don't you have to be, to have 3 kids? ;)

What has Jaye missed the most during this pregnancy?

Strawberry margaritas. Being able to run.

What has Jaye most needed to hear in this pregnancy?

That she's beautiful and justified in taking a nap at any point in the day.

Is Jaye the stereotypical preggo woman this time around?
No big cravings this time. Jaye has felt more crazy this time around, but I remind her that she's just pregnant.

Has Jaye had any crazy preggo hormone moments this time?

I can't remember them now, but there were moments when I was just wondering- what just happened? And then I remind myself she's pregnant, and this probably won't matter in 12 hours, and it usually didn't.

How did you feel when Jaye told you she was preggo?

We found out together. Just excitement. It's what I'd hoped for. Answered prayer.

How did you feel when you first felt #3 kick?

This is really happening! We will actually be outnumbered. Excitement. Joy.

What baby chores will you help with? 
Diaper changes. Laundry. Just holding a baby--or child who is wanting affection.

What baby chores will you dread?
Tar poop. 

How do you think life will change once we have another baby?
I may start drinking coffee. I understand now why parents do. The effects of drinking coffee becoming exponentially more appealing with each child I have.

What do you think #3 will look like?
Girl- she'll look like Jaye. Boy- he'll look like Graham.

What do you hope little #3 is like in general?
Caring. Loving. Kind. Forgiving. Definitely will need to be forgiving. Strong.

What are you most looking forward to once #3 is born?
Holding a little baby again. I didn't appreciate how quickly that time passes with the first two, but with the third, I know I won't get these opportunities for very long.